Trotline runner

ABSTRACT

A PAIR OF GUIDE UNITS FOR SECUREMENT TO LONGITUDINALLY SPACED PORTIONS OF A BOAT SIDE. EACH OF THE GUIDE UNITS INCLUDES A PAIR OF RADIALLY SPACED HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED AND JOURNALLED GROOVED WHEELS AND A THIRD GROOVED WHEEL DISPOSED ON THE SIDE OF A LINE TANGENT TO CORRESPONDING SIDES OF THE FIRST MENTIONED WHEELS REMOTE FROM SAID WHEELS AND SWINGABLE TOWARD AND PARTIALLY THROUGH THAT   LINE TO A POSITION WITH THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE THIRD GROOVED WHEEL AT LEAST PARTIALLY EMBRACED BETWEEN AND SLIGHTLY SPACED FROM THE AFOREMENTIONED CORRESPONDING SIDES OF THE FIRST MENTIONED WHEELS.

Dec. 14, 1971 T. w. OSBORNE 3,626,627

TROTLINE RUNNER Filed April 1, 1970 2 Sheets-Shout 1 Fig.

Twin W Osborne INI/I'ZN'I'UK.

@MdO/Eh WWW Dec. 14, 1971 T. w. OSBORNE TROTLINE RUNNER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1 1970 Twin W. Osborne IN VILNI UK United States Patent 3,626,627 TROTLINE RUNNER Twin W. Osborne, Del City, Okla., assignor of fractional part interest to Raymond E. Theimer, Oklahoma City,

Okla.

Filed Apr. 1, 1970, Ser. No. 24,597 Int. Cl. A01k 79/00, 91/00 US. Cl. 4327.4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pair of guide units for securement to longitudinally spaced portions of a boat side. Each of the guide units includes a pair of radially spaced horizontally disposed and journalled grooved wheels and a third grooved wheel disposed on the side of a line tangent to corresponding sides of the first mentioned wheels remote from said wheels and swingable toward and partially through that line to a position with the outer periphery of the third grooved wheel at least partially embraced between and slightly spaced from the aforementioned corresponding sides of the first mentioned wheels.

The trotline runner of the instant invention consists of a pair of mirror image guide units to be spaced longitudinally of a boat side Wall and supported in stationary position relative to the boat with the guide units projecting outwardly of the corresponding side of the boat. Each of the guide units may have a portion of a trotline readily guidingly engaged therewith in a manner whereby the associated trotline may be smoothly longitudinally advanced through the guide structures or units without interference of station lines which may be attached to the trotline with the guide units.

The guide units include mounting structure by which they may be readily attached to the sides of various boats and braced relative to the sides in a manner enabling ready removal of the guide units from the boat. Further, the supporting structure for the guide units is adjustable whereby compensation may be made for boats whose side walls are inclined differently.

Heretofore there have been various guide structures designed for use on a boat and for the purpose of supporting longitudinally spaced portions of a trotline in elevated position above a body of water and for longitudinal shifting of the trotline through the guide structures. However, most of these previously known guide structures have in one way or another also required that station lines attached to an associated trotline also have to pass through guide units or structures and thus be fully elevated from the associated body of water. In ad dition, some previously used guide structures are constructed in a manner whereby bait supported from the lower ends of station lines attached to an associated trotline is also forced to pass through the guide structures resuling in either damage to the bait or loss of the, latter.

It is accordingly the main object of this invention to provide a trotline runner or guide constructed in a manner allowing a fisherman to run or traverse his trotline without pulling the trotline into the boat for hooking it onto the side of the boat and further construced in a manner whereby the boat will tend to parallel the line by itself without the bow or stern of the boat swinging away ice.

from or toward the trotline when the boat is manually pulled along the trotline.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a trotline runner constructed in a manner whereby associated station lines are allowed to remain perpendicular with their lower ends in the water so as to thereby prevent any fish hooked on the station lines from being lifted clear of the water and throwing the hook. Also, with the caught fish being retained in the water, the fisherman may more readily net the fish which has been caught.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a trotline runner constructed in a manner that is not subject to causing the trotline to tangle with the station lines.

A further object of this invention is to provide a trotline runner constructed in a manner enabling the fisherman to bait hooks on the station lines at any point without losing the bait as the trotline moves through the spaced guide structures of the trotline runner.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a trotline runner in accordance with the preceding object which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble-free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the side portion of a fishing boat to which the trotline runner of the instant invention, comprising a pair of spaced guide structures, has been secured and illustrating a section of trotline operatively engaged with the guide structures;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the assemblage illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating the forwardmost guide unit or structure and the method in which it is attached to the associated boat side;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rear guide unit; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the basic mounting unit utilized on each of the guide structures or units.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral 10 generally designates a fishing boat hull including an upper side portion 12 extending longitudinally of the hull and which is downwardly and outwardly inclined, see FIG. 3.

The trotline runner of the instant invention is referred to in general by the reference numeral 14 and includes a pair of substantially identical but mirror image guide units or structures 16 and 18. Only the guide unit 16 will be described in detail with the understanding that the guide unit 18 includes the same structural features, with one slight difference to be hereinafter more full set forth.

The unit 16 includes an inverted L-shaped support arm structure 20 including an upstanding flange portion 22' and a horizontal flange portion or leg 24. The upper end of the upstanding flange portion or leg 22 is formed integrally with the adjacent end of the leg 24 and the leg 22 has a pair of longitudinally spaced apertures 26 and 28 formed therethrough.

An elongated abutment bolt 30 is snugly received through the apertures 28 and secured in adjusted longitudinally shifted position relative to the leg 22 by means of a pair of wing-type jam nuts 34 and 36 threadedly engaged with the abutment bolt 30. The end of the abutment bolt extending away from the free end of the leg 24 includes a head 38 upon which a resilient cap 40 is secured.

An inverted generally J-shaped mounting hook 42 is provided and has its short leg 44 secured to the leg 22 by means of a bolt 46 secured through a bore 48 and extending through the short leg 44. The bolt 46 also passes through a washer 50 disposed between the free end of the short leg 44 and the outer surface of the leg 22 and the aperture 26 formed in the leg 22, a nut 52 being threaded on the end of the bolt 46 secured to the aperture 26.

The mounting hook 42 also includes an upstanding long leg 54 which depends downwardly along and generally parallels the leg 22 on the side thereof remote from the leg 24. The long leg 54 is received through a double tapering slot '56 formed in a mounting block 58 secured to the outer surface of the side 12 by means of fasteners 60 secured through the side 12 and bores 62 formed through the block 58. It will be noted that the double tapering slot 56 includes pairs of opposite end and opposite side parallel surfaces 64 and 66 disposed in pairs of parallel planes. The planes of each pair of planes are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the long leg 54 whereby the long leg 54 may be angularly displaced within the slot 56 approximately 15 to either side of the position thereof illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings.

The outer or free end of the leg .24 has a crosshead 68 secured thereto by means of a fastener 70 and a first end portion 72 of the crosshead 68 is substantially horizontal while the second end portion 74 of the crosshead 68 is slightly downwardly inclined toward its free end. The guide unit 16 further includes a diagonal brace 76 secured at one end to the free end of the end portion 72 by means of a fastener 78 and at the other end of the end of the leg 24 adjacent the leg 22 by means of a fastener 80. The fastener 80 is also utilized to secure the horizontal flange portion 82 of an L-shaped bracket also including an upstanding flange portion 84 to the inner end of the leg 24. The flange portion 82 is secured to the upper surface of the leg 24 while the adjacent end of the diagonal brace 76 is secured to the underside of the inner end of the leg 24.

The mid-portion of support arm 86 is pivotally secured to the mid-portion of the diagonal brace 76 by means of a fastener 88 and one end of the support arm 86 is turned up as at 90 so as to define a readily engageable handle while the other end of the support arm 86 has a grooved pulley wheel '92 mounted therefrom, second and third grooved pulley wheels 94 and 96 being journalled from the opposite ends of the crosshead 68.

A gravity actuated latch 98 is pivotally secured to the upstanding flange portion 84 by means of a fastener 100 and the longer end of the latch 98 is receivable downwardly between the diagonal brace 76 and the leg 24 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings for engagement with the end of the support arm 86 remote from the handle or hand grip 90 to retain the support arm 86 from swinging in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 4 of the drawings.

With attention now invited more specifically to FIG. 1 of the drawings it will be seen that the flanged pulley wheels 94 and 96 as well as the pulley wheel 92 are journalled for rotation about upstanding axes. Further, the pulley wheels 94 and 96 are radially spaced apart and the pulley wheel 92, when in the position thereof illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings, is received between adjacent peripheral portions of the wheels 94 and 96.

4 However, when the upper end of the latch 98 is depressed so as to elevate the lower end of the latch 98, the latter is shifted out-of-the-way of the support arm 86 and the latter may be swung in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 4 of the drawings in order to swing the pulley wheel 92 from between adjacent peripheral portions of the pulley wheels 94 and 96. When the pulley Wheel 92 is thus retracted, the trotline 102 may be readily lifted to a position horizontally aligned and engaged with the sides of the wheels 94 and 96 adjacent the side of the boat 10 after which the support arm 86 may be swung in a counterclockwise direction to the position thereof illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings with the pulley wheel 92 inwardly deflecting the length of trotline 102 extending between the wheels 94 and 96.

The downward inclination of the end portion 74 of the unit or structure 18 may be as desired in accordance with the design of the boat upon which the trotline runner is being used. Likewise, the downward inclination of the corresponding portion of the guide unit 16 may also be as desired according to the design of the boat 10.

If the side 12 of the boat 10 was more near vertical, the winged jam nuts 34 would be merely moved toward the end of the abutment bolt 30 remote from the head 38 thereof in order to maintain the leg 24 in a generally horizontally disposed position. However, it is not necessary that the leg 24 be maintained in a horizontal position for correct operation of the trotline runner.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A trotline guide structure comprising a support for securement from the side of a boat, a pair of first and second radially spaced and generally horizontally aligned grooved wheels journalled from said support for rotation about upstanding axes, a third wheel journalled for rotation about an upstanding axis and generally horizontally aligned with the first and second wheels, means supporting said third wheel for generally horizontal swinging movement between a first inactive position disposed outside of a line tangent to corresponding peripheral edge portions of said first and second wheels and a second active position shifted at least partially through said line.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said third wheel also comprises a grooved wheel.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said third wheel, when in said active position, is closely radially spaced from both of said first and second wheels.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said guide structure includes releasable latch means preventing movement of said third wheel from said active position toward said 1nact1ve position.

5. The combination of claim 1 including a second guide structure also including a pair of said first and second wheels and one of said third wheels, said pair of guide structures being adapted for securement to longitudinally spaced portions of the side of a boat.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said guide structure includes a depending support leg including inner and outer sides, said wheels being disposed outwardly of the outer side of said support leg, a downwardly opening hook carried by the inner side of the upper end of said leg, an abutment carried by the lower end of said leg and adjustable toward and away from the inner side of said leg, and a mounting block adapted for securement to the outer side of the side of a boat and defining an upstanding passage therethrough, said downwardly opening hook being removably downwardly received in said passage and said abutment being adapted to abut the outer side of said boat side below the point of attachment of said mounting block thereto.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said passage includes opposite end portions which taper toward a central portion thereof through which said hook is received.

8. The combination of claim 1 including a second guide structure also including a pair of said first and second wheels and one of said third wheels, said pair of guide structures being adapted for securement to longitudinally spaced portions of the side of a boat, the remote wheels of said pairs of wheels being journalled for rotation about upstanding axes which are upwardly divergent.

9. The combination of claim 1 wherein said third wheel also comprises a grooved wheel, said third wheel, when in said active position, being closely radially spaced from both of said first and second wheels.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein said guide structure includes releasable latch means preventing movement of said third wheel from said active position toward said inactive position.

References Cited SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner J. F. PITRELLI, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 43-6.5; 254-190 R 

